Book Club
The Sinking of the Leonardo da Vinci
Book Discussion Questions
Ordered from warm-up to more provocative — skip around as your group sees fit.
- What was your reaction to the dual timeline structure? Which Joanna did you connect with more?
- The 1976 sections are in first person while the 2002 sections are in third person. How did this affect your reading experience? Why do you think the author chose to structure the story this way?
- Why does Joanna feel she needs permission to pursue music and creativity? Do you see this need for permission in your own life?
- The therapist tells Joanna “It’s our singing voice that shows who we really are.” How does Joanna’s literal voice connect to finding her authentic self? What does it mean that she buried her voice for decades?
- Joanna is a widow grieving her husband’s sudden death. How does her journey through Cinque Terre help her process this loss? What does the novel suggest about how we begin to live again after devastating loss?
- Compare Joanna’s relationships across both timelines. Does the novel suggest we can have both passion and safety, or must we choose? Do we only get one big love in life?
- Both young and older Joanna live with fantasies. Are these self-destructive or life-giving? When does imagination help us dare, and when does it trap us?
- Joanna’s love story seems “totally irrelevant” compared to 9/11 and climate change — yet the novel is about that “foolish love.” How do we reconcile living fully with attending to larger crises?
- What did the novel’s title mean to you? What is actually “sinking” in this story?
- Is Joanna immature? Did her fumbles and anxiety frustrate you or make her more relatable?
- When you learned what changed Luca in Rome, did it change how you felt about him? About Joanna’s choices? Did you forgive him?
- What will stay with you from this novel?
Invite me to your book club
Is your book club reading The Sinking of the Leonardo da Vinci? I’d love to join you. After you’ve finished the book, I’m happy to arrange a one-hour Zoom Q&A — any questions you have, about the writing, the characters, the choices I made. I love meeting readers and hearing about your experience of my work.
Description
It is 1976, in New York. Joanna, a dreamy and sensitive girl, suffers deep loneliness. The world of music, of songwriting, draws her toward something deeper, if only she had permission to enter that world. When she meets Luca, onboard The Leonardo da Vinci, her wildest dreams come true. He—the young navigator of the ship, rebellious and passionate—gives her that permission. They fall hopelessly in love, and against all odds, she travels to Rome to be with him. When she arrives, he has drastically changed. Never knowing what turned him so callous, this dark seed contaminates the rest of her life.
Back in NY, she runs into her former professor, Stuart, a visionary environmentalist, and they marry. Older than Joanna, he is her anchor and benevolent father figure. To never be burned again, she vows to stay far from the rocky shoals of passion. To keep that vow, she buries her creative soul, her real voice, and her music. When Stuart unexpectedly dies of a heart attack, her unlived self awakens with a vengeance. Hoping to heal, she travels to the walking trails of Cinque Terre, where she unexpectedly reawakens both passion and comfort in her relationships, finding herself along the way.
Questions for the Author
For groups planning a virtual or in-person visit with Deborah Jeanne Weitzman.
- What inspired you to write this novel? Was there a particular moment or discovery that sparked the story?
- As a professional singer-songwriter, what drew you to write fiction? How is the creative process different?
- What made you decide to structure the novel with alternating timelines, and why write one in first person and the other in third?
- Music and singing are so central to this story — what role does creative expression play in healing and self-discovery, in your view?
- Why did you choose Cinque Terre as the setting for Joanna’s healing journey?
- What do you hope readers will take away from this novel?
A Chance Meeting…
So I pop into this little deli near where I’m staying in Barcelona to grab a quick bite… turns out, it’s an Italian spot
While I’m paying, I start chatting with the owner — who somehow speaks every language (how do these people exist??).
At some point, I mention my book… set in Italy… about finding your voice, your path, and, you know… what even is love?
He looks at me and goes: “I want to buy your book.”
I laugh a little — “It’s in English.”
“I only read in English.”
Okay then
I literally run half a block back to my room, grab a copy, and sprint back.
And there he is… smiling, cash in hand, already holding a pen for me to sign it.
Moments like this?? I live for them.